Agreement between Libya’s leaders might end civil war

Rival Libyan leaders have reached an agreement that could end six years of civil war.

Rival leaders Fayez al-Sarraj, leader of the UN-backed government, and military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who heads a competing administration, have agreed in principle to hold elections in 2018 and to a power-sharing deal.

According to The Telegraph, the surprise meeting was described as “breakthrough” talks and took place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday which was the first face-to-face in 18 months.

The UAE hosts lauded in a statement “the positive atmosphere of the talks and praised the determination shown by the two sides to reach a solution to the current political stalemate in Libya”.

The new elections would be held within six months and that the “UN-backed government’s presidency council reduced to three from nine members,” reports The Telegraph. However, no official statement was issued following the talks.